Martindale Abrasion Test
The Martindale test rubs a fabric against a standard abrasive in a figure-of-eight motion under set pressure, and counts the cycles until failure. It is the standard measure of abrasion resistance.
Results are given in rubs, and the pressure used must be quoted alongside them, because the same fabric tested at a lower pressure survives far more cycles.
What the numbers mean
The test is defined by ISO 12947-2. Pressure is usually 9 or 12 kPa for apparel. A result of 20,000 rubs at 9 kPa is a different claim from 20,000 rubs at 12 kPa, so a figure without its pressure is not comparable.
As with hydrostatic head, results are often censored: a test run to a threshold reports "exceeds" that number rather than a measured value. VEAR's shell result is of this kind, recorded as exceeding 20,000 rubs at 9 kPa on our lab tests page.
What it predicts, and what it does not
It predicts how a fabric copes with sustained rubbing, which is the wear you get from a pack strap on a shoulder or a seatbelt across a chest. It does not predict tear strength, which is a different test, or how the fabric survives a snag on a branch.
For a travel shell, abrasion resistance and tear strength together tell you more than either alone.
Related terms
- Denier: the yarn thickness that drives abrasion resistance
- Ripstop: the reinforcement that addresses tearing instead
- VEAR lab test results: our Martindale figure and its conditions
- Glossary: all terms